National Chiropractic Health Month: Take Steps to Better Musculoskeletal Health

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and chiropractors nationwide are encouraging the public to take simple steps toward better musculoskeletal (MSK) health during National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) this October. The MSK system is comprised of the spine as well as all the muscles, bones and joints of the body. Keeping this vital system strong is the focus of 2019’s "Strength. Stability. Success." campaign.

When the MSK system functions well, we feel stronger and healthier; however, when there's a problem we might experience pain and even disability. More than one in two adults report experiencing an MSK condition such as back pain, neck pain, joint pain, arthritis or osteoporosis. They are the most commonly reported medical conditions among those under age 65 and the second most common condition for people age 65 and older. Low back pain alone is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

"Chiropractors provide care that helps people improve musculoskeletal health and relieve conditions such as low back pain naturally, sometimes enabling them to avoid or reduce the need for riskier treatments such as prescription opioid pain medications and surgery," notes ACA President Robert C. Jones, DC.

This October, set yourself up for future stability and success by taking steps to improve the strength of your musculoskeletal system:

Eat a balanced diet. Proper nutrition is just as important to musculoskeletal health as it is to overall health. Eat a balanced diet that includes whole fresh foods and try to avoid processed foods. Be sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D for your bones and lean protein to build and maintain strong muscles.

Do weight-bearing exercises. Walking, jogging and resistance exercises such as weightlifting can improve bone density. Planks and squats can also strengthen core muscles. (Non-weight-bearing exercises such as swimming and biking can benefit the MSK system as well, especially for people unable to walk or jog while recovering from back, hip or knee pain.)

Stay hydrated. Drinking water makes muscles stronger by carrying oxygen to the cells of the body. It also helps lubricate and cushion joints.

Quit smoking. Smoking contributes not only to cardiovascular disease but also osteoporosis and bone fracture as we age.

Get adequate rest. A good night's sleep enables your body to repair muscles and joints that are strained or injured during the day.

Don’t drink too much alcohol. Drinking alcohol excessively can lead to osteoporosis and bone fracture.

We can also reduce the risk of pain and injury to our MSK system by improving our posture and movement techniques as well the ergonomics of our work and home environments. Learn more at www.acatoday.org/NCHM.

Vegetarians May Live Longer

A five year study of people's eating habits suggests that people who limit or eliminate meat from their diets are less likely to die over time. Researchers at Loma Linda University in California studied data from over 70,000 participants and found that people who eat mostly fruits and vegetables enjoyed a reduced risk of heart disease and other diet-related causes of death. In the test group, 8 percent of subjects described themselves as vegans who didn't eat any animal products, 29 percent were lacto-ovo-vegetarians who didn't eat fish or meat but did eat dairy and egg products, and 15 percent occasionally ate meat and fish. The researchers found that while seven out of 1000 individuals died in any given period of time, the death rate among vegetarians and occasional meat-eaters dropped to five or six individuals in the same time period. However, the researchers were reluctant to attribute the effect solely to the test subject's diet choices. They pointed out that the vegetarians also generally worked out more, were better educated, less likely to smoke and weighed less, all of which contributed to their decreased mortality rate. Still, they concluded that the data suggests that reducing or eliminating animal products from your diet could lead to healthier overall outcomes.

“BPA-Free” Plastics Potentially Worse

If you’ve purchased plastic related drinking containers you’ve surely noticed many products touting their "BPA-free" status. BPA or bisphenol-A is a chemical used to harden plastic and has received much bad press over the recent years due to studies linking it to brain and behavior issues in children and infants, altered hormone levels, obesity and cancer, to name a few. Unfortunately, new research from Canada shows the replacement being used for BPA, BPS or bisphenol-S, has now also become a cause for concern. Researchers from the University of Calgary have now found BPS to cause changes in the brain development of zebra fish embryos at extremely low doses. Authors of the study state their findings are directly relevant to humans, especially for women in their second trimester of pregnancy.